The Hunter
by Demon Eliot
Summary: Link finds a bow, quiver of arrows and a knife a couple of years before OOT starts. He is interested in the bow and gets his hands on a usable smaller bow. He then practises and becomes... The Hunter... A Link that is not good with the sword, but bow.


**The Hunter**

**So yeah... I got bored of having to deal with all my mistakes in my other story and so I left it for a long time. Instead of going and fixing it or remaking the story I'm just going to make a completely new Zelda story, although with my time schedule I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't even meet a deadline of getting a chapter out every year... I'm not very dedicated to my stories I admit... **

**In this story I will be doing manga dungeons, or rather no dungeons at all but only the boss because I can't be bothered looking up every dungeon and I have no excuse to skip dungeons like I tried to on my other story. Apart from no dungeons it will be following the game world, but with changes to talking and how Link reacts to situations etc. So I will be trying to add non-canon stuff to the canon mix of the game and manga worlds. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Chapter 1: Who needs a sword?**

Link twitched. Standing in front of him was a damn ugly man that made him want to puke based on looks alone. Said man was on a dark horse, which was on a drawbridge of a gate. Rain was coming down with a fury and lightning was striking the ground sporadically, but Link unconsciously ignored all of that in favour of glaring at the man. He didn't know why he was glaring, but he felt it deep within himself and just went with it.

The man seemed amused, even going so far as to chuckle at Link. He held up a hand with the palm facing outward towards Link and suddenly dark energy could be visibly seen gathering into a ball.

Link knew to dodge. His highly trained instincts were screaming at him and he leapt out of the way. Or at least would have, except some unseen force was keeping both of his feet attached firmly to the ground. He looked down at them and cursed silently as they wouldn't move.

Was the ugly man doing this as well? He looked back up and his eyes widened as the dark energy ball was launched from the man's hand and quickly closed the gap towards him.

Link's eyes shot open. He had a bead of sweat running down his cheek and he hastily rubbed it off with a hand as it was irritating him. He climbed down from the tree he had fallen asleep in and looked around. Just trees and the two wolves he had killed yesterday.

He looked at the corpses of the two wolves he had killed, one just basically only bones as he had already eaten it yesterday and the other skinned and on a stick waiting to be cooked for his morning breakfast.

They had been easy kills, the first having an arrow through the head. The second he had managed to wound and trip over with an arrow to one of its legs as it charged him and then he simply brought out his knife and finished it before it could get up off of the floor.

He started up a fire and set his wolf on a stick over it to be cooking. He pulled out his bow and started to inspect it as he did every morning he could. It was a smaller than average bow, which suited Link fine as he would struggle to use a normal bow as efficiently as the one he currently did.

It had all started when Link had been wandering around the Lost Woods as he often did three years ago. He had quite literally stumbled over the dead body of a hunter of some kind. Link had instantly felt something draw him in to the bow in the hands of the dead body. However, he had no idea what the bow actually was, or how to use it.

He took the bow, quiver of arrows and dagger from the dead hunter and eagerly hurried deeper into the Lost Woods to find and show Saria his discovery at where they hung out.

He found her sitting on the stump that she was usually at when waiting for him.

"Saria, look what I found!" Link exclaimed, putting down the items in front of her.

She reached down and picked up the bow and examined it.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me" Link shrugged.

"It's so big" she muttered holding the bow.

"Hmm... I feel like I have an attachment to this thing. It's weird, like I want to use it somehow. But I have no idea how" explained Link.

"I think we should show it to the shopkeeper. Maybe he might know what it is?" Saria suggested.

"Maybe. What about the other stuff?" Link asked.

"You and I both know that this is a knife" she said, picking it up briefly. She put it back down and turned her attention to the quiver of arrows.

"But what are these? They look like sticks with sharp metal on the end." Saria observed.

"Let's hurry and see what the shopkeeper thinks. I want to know what this stuff is!" Link said while picking up everything and carrying it back towards Kokiri Village. Saria quickly jumped off the stump and walked with him.

When they arrived back at Kokiri Forest they went over to the shop. They greeted the shopkeeper and then Link explained how he had found the dead hunter and found this stuff, but had no idea what it was. He showed the shopkeeper the items.

"Well that's simple, this is a bow and a quiver of arrows" he explained to the two of them. They gave him looks of confusion. He then explained to them how a bow worked and how you could use it as a weapon.

"Oh, no wonder we haven't heard of it before. The Deku Tree doesn't like us being anywhere near weapons" Link said. Saria nodded in agreement.

"So you use it like this?" Link asked, holding the bow with one hand, notching an arrow and pulling back on the bow string with the other hand. However, it quickly became a strain to do so and he let go and watched as it went flying past the shopkeepers head and embedded itself into the wall. The shopkeeper's eye twitched violently.

"DON'T GO SHOOTING AT OTHER PEOPLE YOU IDIOT! THAT'S A WEAPON YOU FOOL! DID I NOT JUST TELL YOU THAT LITERALLY A FEW SECONDS AGO!" he shouted at Link. Link winced and bowed his head as he apologised.

"But still, I think this bow is a bit too big for Link to use, isn't it?" Saria asked.

"Yeah, it was really hard to pull the string back" Link agreed. The shopkeeper sighed.

"I know I'm going to regret this somehow... If you want I can try and get my hands on a smaller sized bow and arrows to go with it" he told Link.

"Really? You could do that?" Link asked happily. Saria looked at the shopkeeper suspiciously.

"How would you be able to do that?" she asked. He chuckled nervously.

"Haha... That's a secret I'm afraid" he said.

(There's no way I'm telling them about that guy I saved in the lost woods by leading him out, that he became my secret dealer with the outside world and that we meet every month at the entrance to the forest) he thought.

"Well I don't care how you do it, as long as I get a smaller bow" Link said, excited at the idea.

"Well to do it, I will need to take this bow and arrows off of your hands" the shopkeeper told him, wanting to trade it with his secret dealer for a profit.

"Whatever, just how long will I have to wait for my new bow?" Link asked.

"About a month or so"

Links expression fell.

"But you can keep the knife and play with that"

"Wait, why exactly are you supplying us with weapons now?" Saria asked confused.

"Business and because I know how fun it is to play with weapons, no matter what the Deku Tree says" the shopkeeper said. Saria shrugged before grabbing Link and dragging him out of the shop with the words,

"Come on Link, let's go play a game or something already!"

After getting his new bow, Link had practised with it and found he was quite good with it, much better with the bow than with his knife. He often went into the forest to hunt and after the shopkeeper sold him a book on how to skin and gut an animal, he would sell the skins to the shop as well. In return, the shop would stock arrows for him that he could buy when he needed to. It also meant he usually didn't have to buy meat as he could get his own and he found it much more interesting to hunt than to pick fruit and berries like most of the other Kokiri do.

The shopkeeper also sold him books on things to do with archery and hunting, allowing Link to practise and improve himself over the next few years. Of course, the shopkeeper still wouldn't tell them how he had access to things like books, which were rarely seem in Kokiri Forest as they are made from wood and they don't chop down trees, neither would they know how to make the wood into paper either.

Link's thoughts on the past ended when he finished his breakfast and stamped out the fire. Before he could move a glowing ball with wings flew in front of his face.

"Hey are you Link?" it asked. Link blinked as he realised a fairy was asking about him.

"Yeah, that's me" he asked it.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages and you weren't at your home and..." the fairy started complaining loudly.

"What's your name?" Link interrupted. The fairy stopped whining.

"My names Navi, nice to meet you Link" Navi introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you too. Please remember not to be too loud though, otherwise you will attract unwanted predators" Link told her.

"What do you mean? The great Deku Tree prevents any predators from crossing a certain boundary. That same boundary is what Kokori will die if they cross over" Navi asked. Link shook his head.

"Well we must be past that boundary then as you get plenty of dangerous things out here"

"But that doesn't make any sense because if that was true then you should be dead!" Navi exclaimed.

"I don't know and I don't really care. Right now I am going back to Kokori Forest and I am going to show Mido up about the fact that I finally have a fairy and so I must be a real Kokori" Link said.

"Oh that reminds me, the great Deku Tree needs to see you urgently. You don't want me to repeat some of the things he said to describe the importance of you hurrying" Navi said.

"Great, I was hoping to have some fun with Saria today and relax a little..." Link groaned.

Link picked up his wolf hides before making his way back to the village, hoping to see Saria and show her his new fairy before he went to the Deku Tree. He was in luck, finding her waiting for him at the entrance between Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods.

"Saria look! A fairy came to me!" Link exclaimed.

"I'm so happy for you Link!" Saria gasped happily.

"Link, don't spend too long as we've got to hurry and meet with the great Deku Tree..." Navi warned him.

"Ah you also get to have an audience with the Deku Tree? Wow, don't keep him waiting! Go on!" Saria exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, I'm going" Link muttered.

Link dropped off his wolf hides to the shop and stocked up on arrows before carrying on towards the Deku Tree. However, he was soon interrupted by Mido standing guard at the only entrance to where the Deku Tree lay.

"Ah no fairy b-" Mido started before stopping suddenly as he saw Navi floating over Links shoulder.

"What was that Mido? You suddenly stopped talking. Fairy got your tongue?" Link taunted.

"Shut up! Just because you've got a fairy doesn't mean that I, the great Mido will ever accept you as one of us!" Mido shouted angrily.

"Oh dear, someone I couldn't care less about is having a tantrum because he doesn't like me" Link continued with his taunting.

Mido's face started to turn a shade of purple.

"Regardless, move out of the way, I've got an audience with the big tree" Link told him, tapping his foot impatiently.

"You know what? I think because of your rudeness to me and the Deku Tree I'm not going to let you through unless you beg," Mido replied.

Link twitched.

"Really? What part of your indescribably small brain made you think I would ever beg to you?" Link asked.

"Ah true, you're too arrogant to ever beg to me, the great Mido. Alright then, maybe I might let you pass if you get a sword and a shield. Obviously because I am a kind person and so I don't want you to die..." Mido snickered.

"What do you think this bow and dagger I'm carrying is for? Decoration?" Link asked rhetorically.

"As if I trust things like that to keep someone safe. Sword and shield and then I'll think about letting you pass," Mido replied.

"Come on Link, I'm sure we can find that legendary Kokiri sword that I heard rumours about," Navi said.

"Really? Who needs a sword? Besides, 'legendary' isn't the word for it. I found it ages ago and left it where it was because it's just a plain old sword and I already have my knife. Besides, Mido doesn't care for my safety. He's just saying that as an excuse to try to get me to waste time," Link shook his head.

"Navi, you have ten seconds to persuade Mido to move before I shoot him" Link told her, taking his bow out and attaching an arrow to it.

"What? Um, okay... Mido, please move out of the way before he shoots you!" Navi requested.

"Ha! As if he would shoot the great Mido! He's just bluffing" Mido replied.

"10, 9, 8..." Link started counting. Mido twitched but held his ground.

"Mido the Deku Tree urgently needs to see him, please move" Navi pleaded.

"Why would the Deku Tree urgently need to see someone like him?" Mido shot back.

"3, 2, 1..." Link continued.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" a voice called out. Everyone turned to see Saria walking over.

"Saria I..." Mido started.

"I was just about to shot Mido with an arrow for not moving out of the way" Link interrupted.

"Mido, move out of the way before you get hurt... He probably would shoot you, knowing him" Saria sighed.

"Grr... How did you get to be Saria's favourite, huh?" Mido growled out before stomping off.

"Well, that was annoying" Link said, putting the arrow back in the quiver and the bow back over his shoulder.

"Well, good luck" Saria told him before wandering off.

Link took a deep breath before walking forward and soon coming to a massive clearing with a huge tree.

"Great Deku Tree, I'm back!" Navi called.

"Ah Navi... You have returned..." the Deku Tree spoke without moving in any visible way.

"So what did you need me for?" Link asked impatiently.

"Ah Link... An evil man from the desert came and put a curse on me as I refused to give him a stone he wanted... I need you to go inside of me and destroy the source of this curse... A monster known as Gohma..." the Deku Tree wheezed out.

"Um... Okay?" Link replied.

"Thank you Link... Be courageous and you will succeed..." the Deku Tree's mouth opened and revealed an entrance into darkness.

"How will I be able to see in there?" Link asked.

"I will light the way for you with what power I still possess..." the Deku Tree replied.

Link shrugged before walking forward and into the darkness. Suddenly, the area was illuminated and he could see a way down through the roots of the tree. He kept walking downwards, but stopped as he heard a shuffling of some kind.

He pulled out his bow and notched an arrow, ready to realise at the first sign of trouble. He heard a noise behind him and he spun and fired an arrow into the side of Gohma.

Gohma shrieked in pain before jumping onto a root and hanging from it. An egg dropped down and smashed into the floor, a baby version of Gohma appearing from the remains and charging towards him.

Link's eyes widened as he hurriedly notched another arrow and fired it at Gohma, knocking him off of its perch, but not before another egg was dropped and hatched.

Link cursed as he had to sidestep the first baby's leaping charge. He dropped his bow and pulled out his knife in time to slash the second out of the air as it leaped at him. He turned quickly and plunged the knife into the first as it attacked him again, watching satisfied as it dissolved into smoke.

Suddenly Link was in pain as he felt something hit him and send him flying into a wall. His chest was suddenly more restrictive and in agony.

"Most of broke something, maybe a rib or two" Link muttered to himself. He luckily had kept hold of his knife, although his bow was still where he had dropped it. He cursed as he noticed Gohma charging him again, knowing what would happened if it hit him into the wall again and trapped him there.

He threw his knife as hard as he could, watching as it embedded itself into Gohma's body, before diving out of the way and gasping as he collided and rolled across the floor. The resulting crash of Gohma hitting the wall reminded him that he didn't have time to waste, so he got to his feet and quickly staggered towards his bow.

He heard Gohma roar behind him as he reached and pulled an arrow out of his quiver. He heard the thump of it charging towards him as he picked up the bow. He notched the arrow and pulled back as he turned, firing point blank into the charging monster, his arrow going straight through its eye.

The body hit him and went straight past, having already become intangible smoke that was quickly disappearing into air. Link gasped with relief as the fight ended.

Link put his bow back over his shoulder and then picked up his knife from where it had dropped onto the floor from Gohma's dissolved body. He slowly made his way back from where he had come down until he finally was back under the sun.

"Link... You have returned..." the Deku Tree spoke.

"It's dead" Link gasped out before lying on the grass.

"You are injured... But I must ask you to listen to what I have to say before treating your wound" the Deku Tree observed. Link just grunted.

"Unfortunately, the curse has already taken too deep into myself and so I will soon die..."

"What? But that means all that effort I just made was a waste of time!" Link shouted.

"Not so, you demonstrated your courage and made it clear to me that you are the youth who I should entrust the future to..." the Deku Tree told him.

"What do you mean?" Link asked confused.

"I don't have long left so I will need to explain briefly... The stone that the evil man Ganondorf coveted, you must take that stone to Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle... She needs your help desperately..."

"Wait, why does a princess need my help? Surely she has the pick of people she can order around to help her?" Link asked.

"She cannot trust anyone in fear that Ganondorf has gotten to them and persuaded them to join him... He has infiltrated the castle and has become friends with the king..." the Deku Tree explained.

"Now Link, take this stone... The stone that Ganondorf would condemn me to death to acquire... The Kokiri's Emerald..."

A bright light appeared above Link before disappearing as the Kokiri's Emerald dropped and landed on his head.

"Ow..." Link complained, before picking it up and pocketing it.

"Now go Link... Leave the forest... Meet with the princess and help her save the world... Good... Luck..." the Deku Tree whispered his last words before decaying rapidly and becoming a dull gray colour.

"What? Save the world? That wasn't mentioned before..." Link moaned.  
"I would feel bad though if I didn't help with the Deku Tree's last wish... So I guess I'll go give this Princess Zelda the emerald... "

Link stood up and winced as his ribs complained. He trudged away from the decayed tree and soon came across Mido and Saria.

"You! What did you do! The Deku Tree is dead!" Mido shouted.

Link just ignored him and started walking towards the shop. Saria followed alongside him and he explained what happened to her.

"Oh no, how could this happen? And you must be in pain being injured like that" Saria said. Link just nodded as he walked into the shop.

"Shopkeeper, I need a red potion please" Link asked immediately. He was quickly handed one and he downed it in one gulp. He sighed in relief as the pain instantly vanished and his injuries healed.

"You know those are expensive as they are hard and expensive to get and you have to pay for it right?" the shopkeeper asked. Link nodded.

"Here's the 80 rupees" Link said handing them over. The shopkeeper thanked them and they both walked out.

"So I guess you'll be leaving immediately?" Saria asked.

"Yeah, no sense putting it off" Link replied.

"When will I see you again?"

"I don't know unfortunately"

They arrived at the bridge leading out of Kokiri Forest. Saria stopped.

"Link... I want you to have my ocarina" she told him, reaching into a pocket, taking it out and offering it to him.

"Why?" Link questioned, taking the ocarina from her.

"I want it to remind you of home and of me. Hopefully it will encourage you to come back faster" she smiled.

"Thank you Saria" Link grinned.

"Now go on! The world won't save itself you know?" Saria commanded.

"Yeah, I don't even know what the Deku Tree meant by that..."

"I'm sure you'll find out on your journey" Saria told him.

Link smiled at her before walking over the end of the bridge and out of Kokiri Forest.


End file.
